Cross-hearing via bone conduction can contaminate thresholds, requiring masking in audiometry.

Evidence

Any time a patient has an asymmetry in hearing, the audiologist evaluates whether cross-hearing (in which the non-test ear responds to the sound rather than the test ear) can occur. If necessary, the audiologist applies the principles of masking to ensure that the threshold measurements reflect the sensitivity of the ear being tested. When masking is used in audiogram measurement, it is used to shift the threshold of the non-test ear to a level that does not allow the non-test ear to detect the tone presented to the test ear. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 582

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines cross-hearing and clinical masking in one compact explanation.